'Uncanny Congruencies' alumni exhibition to open Sept. 10 at the Palmer Museum

September 3, 2013

'Uncanny Congruencies' alumni exhibition to open Sept. 10 at the Palmer Museum

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Palmer Museum of Art will present "Uncanny Congruencies" through Dec. 15.

The power of art is often found in those uncanny spaces between formal abstraction and the narratives of representation. Inseparable parts of a more complex whole, the form of abstraction and the content of representation are the collaborative conditions that have created the most compelling works of art since antiquity. "Uncanny Congruencies" investigates these elliptical crisscrossings, and offers a nuanced dialogue with its audiences through the seemingly dissimilar work of 18 alumni of the Penn State School of Visual Arts — all of which intersects and dialogues with one another in surprising ways.

The tyranny of certainty and the increasing fear of ambiguity in our age of instant messaging and immediate gratification are challenged by the exhibition’s curatorial invitation to see beyond the obvious. Viewers are encouraged to engage with works of art in relation to one another. Where do these disparate sensibilities intersect and connect? More important, how do these artists distinguish themselves in our highly complex and competitive world?

"Uncanny Congruencies" is being presented as part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State and was guest co-curated by Micaela Amateau Amato, professor emerita of art and women’s studies. The exhibition and related events are being co-sponsored by the Palmer Museum of Art and the School of Visual Arts at Penn State.

Christa Assad, artist, will present an "Uncanny" lecture at 4:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 9Co-sponsored by the Friends of the Palmer Museum of Art and the School of Visual Arts John M. Anderson Endowed Lecture Series

Judith Bernstein, artist, will present an "Uncanny" lecture at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10Co-sponsored by the Friends of the Palmer Museum of Art and the School of Visual Arts John M. Anderson Endowed Lecture Series

Tim Roda, artist, will present an "Uncanny" lecture at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29.Co-sponsored by the Friends of the Palmer Museum of Art and the School of Visual Arts John M. Anderson Endowed Lecture Series.

The Palmer will screen a series of films at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2; 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5; at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9; 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12; 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16; 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19; at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23; 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26; 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30; and 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2; as part of the Institute for the Arts and Humanities’ “Uncanny October” project, featuring events on the theme of the uncanny, or the familiar made strange. “Uncanny October” will feature a course (HIS/CMLIT 197A), performances, talks, roundtable discussions and films that feature themes on the weird, mysterious, malicious, supernatural, dangerous and just plain creepy. These films consider what makes something uncanny, how we try to make sense of it and what our engagement with the uncanny might say about being human. For information about the films being screened, visit www.iah.psu.edu or contract the Institute for the Arts and Humanities office at 814-863-8349. Co-sponsored by the Friends of the Palmer Museum of Art and the Institute for the Arts and Humanities

The Palmer Museum of Art at Penn State is located on Curtin Road and admission is free. Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. The museum is closed Mondays and some holidays. Reduced hours over Thanksgiving break are Saturday, Nov. 23, through Sunday, Dec. 1, noon to 4 p.m. The museum will be closed Monday, Nov. 25; Thursday, Nov. 28; Friday, Nov. 29; and Saturday, Dec. 21, through Wednesday, Jan. 1.

The Palmer Museum of Art receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, an agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

The Chevron Corp. is the Palmer Museum of Art’s major corporate sponsor.

Also on view at the Palmer Museum of Art this fall are "American Block and Burin: Wood Engravings from the Permanent Collection," continuing through Dec. 8; and "Recent Acquisitions," continuing through Dec. 15.

For more information or to request images, contact Jennifer Feehan, coordinator of membership and public relations, at 814-863-9182 or jenfeehan@psu.edu.